Air Circulation Indicator

ABSTRACT

An air circulation indicator and method of use includes a rotatable fan blade, and a support structure for securing the rotatable fan blade substantially adjacent to a vent, such that air circulation through the vent rotates the fan blade, thereby indicating the air circulation through the vent. The support structure includes a housing assembly. The housing assembly is integrally formed with the vent. Alternatively, the housing assembly includes an attachment mechanism for attaching the housing assembly to the vent. The attachment mechanism includes a hook which removably attaches the housing assembly to the vent. In another alternative, the support structure includes a clip attachable to the vent, wherein the clip is removably attachable to the vent. The support structure includes a rotatable hub attached to the blade, and a rib extending from the hub to the vent for fixing the hub to the vent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/563,726, filed on Sep. 27, 2017, and is a national stage application of International Application No. PCT/US18/53124, filed on Sep. 27, 2018, which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to air circulation indicators, more specifically to a fan-type attachment for air vents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is often necessary to determine whether an air intake or exhaust is functioning properly. In buildings, indoor air vents are often located on ceilings where they are difficult to reach. To determine whether air is flowing through the vent, a string, tape, or other lightweight object can be attached to the vent. Airflow can cause the object to move which can indicate circulation of air through the vent.

One disadvantage of the foregoing method of determining airflow is that it can only be used on exhaust vents that blow air towards the object. It is not effective in determining whether an intake vent is working properly.

Another disadvantage is that, it is not easy to determine whether the object is moving due to airflow through the vent or airflow near the vent from another source of airflow. Thus, the movement of the attached object does not accurately indicate that there is airflow through the vent.

Yet another disadvantage is that it cannot indicate the rate of airflow. Therefore, there is no way of knowing how much air is being circulated.

Another disadvantage is the unsightliness of an object dangling from the vent. As well, often times the object cannot be securely attached to the vent, especially when the object is attached by adhesives.

Finally, a safety issue exists in attaching indicators of the prior art to vents. One must reach the ceiling to attach the object to the vent by ladder or other structure. Therefore, the risk of accident is increased.

Therefore, a need exists for an air circulation indicator for vents that can work in more situations, is more reliable, provide more information, and is less intrusive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The present invention is an air circulation indicator for air vents. In one embodiment, the air circulation indicator is a fan attachment comprising a pinwheel or one or more fan blades, and a means of attachment. The air circulation indicator of the present invention could be integral to the vent or separately attached.

In another embodiment, the air circulation indicator of the present invention includes a rotatable fan blade; and a support structure for securing the rotatable fan blade substantially adjacent to a vent; wherein air circulation through the vent rotates the fan blade, thereby indicating the air circulation through the vent. The support structure includes a housing assembly. In one embodiment, the housing assembly is integrally formed with the vent. In an alternative embodiment, the housing assembly includes attachment means or an attachment mechanism for attaching the housing assembly to the vent. The attachment means includes a hook which removably attaches the housing assembly to the vent. In another embodiment, the support structure includes a clip attachable to the vent, wherein the clip is removably attachable to the vent. In a further embodiment, the support structure includes: a rotatable hub attached to the blade; and a rib extending from the hub to the vent for fixing the hub to the vent.

In a further embodiment, an air circulation indicator of the present invention includes a rotatable hub; a rotatable fan blade connected to the rotatable hub for rotating therearound; and a support structure including a rib for securing the rotatable hub substantially adjacent to a vent; wherein air circulation through the vent rotates the fan blade, thereby indicating the air circulation through the vent. The support structure includes a housing assembly. The housing assembly is integrally formed with the vent. Alternatively, the housing assembly includes attachment means or an attachment mechanism for attaching the housing assembly to the vent. The attachment means includes a hook, and can be removably attached to the housing assembly to the vent. In another embodiment, the support structure includes a clip attachable to the vent, which is removably attachable to the vent.

In still another embodiment, a method of the present invention indicates air circulation and includes providing a rotatable fan blade; securing, using a support structure, the rotatable fan blade substantially adjacent to a vent; circulating air through the vent; and rotating the fan blade in response to the air circulation, thereby indicating the air circulation through the vent. The method further includes providing a housing assembly with the support structure; and attaching the housing assembly to the vent. The step of attaching includes removably attaching the housing assembly to the vent.

The advantages to the present invention are numerous. While solving the problems of air circulation indicators of the prior art, the present invention provides a reliable and non-intrusive indication of airflow for both intake and exhaust vents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of an air circulation indicator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the air circulation indicator of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view a second embodiment of an air circulation indicator of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the air circulation indicator of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a third embodiment of an air circulation indicator of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of an air circulation indicator of the present invention.

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, identical reference numerals have been used, when appropriate, to designate the same or similar elements that are common to the figures. Further, unless stated otherwise, the features shown in the figures are not drawn to scale, but are shown for illustrative purposes only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The article “a” is intended to include one or more items, and where only one item is intended the term “one” or similar language is used. Additionally, to assist in the description of the present invention, words such as top, bottom, side, upper, lower, front, rear, inner, outer, right and left are used to describe the accompanying figures. The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, a first embodiment of an air circulation indicator is shown. In this embodiment, the air circulation indicator is a fan 10 integrally formed with a vent 20. The fan 10 comprises at a pair of blades 12 coupled to a rotatable hub 14 such that the blades 12 are rotatable. In other embodiments, multiple blades may be used coupled to each other or independently to the member. The blades may be straight or curved.

The hub 14 is secured to the fan 10 with radially extending ribs 16 that are fixed to a housing assembly 18. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize from the present disclosure that multiple ribs 16 could be used to support the hub 14. Also, in the embodiment, the ribs 16 are located at a top portion of the fan 10 but the ribs 16 may also extend from inner or bottom portions of the housing assembly 18 so long as they do not interfere with the blades 12.

In the exemplar embodiment, the housing assembly 18 is cylindrical to maximize airflow but other shapes are possible. The housing assembly 18 is open at a top and a bottom end to allow for airflow. The housing assembly 18 and ribs 16 are integrally formed with the vent 20 by known methods such as injection molding and welding. Thus, the fan 10 is fabricated along with the vent 20.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4, a second embodiment of an air circulation indicator is shown. In this embodiment, the air circulation indicator is a fan attachment 110, which is substantially similar to the fan 10 of the first embodiment with a few exceptions. In this embodiment, the fan attachment 110 includes a pair of blades 112 coupled to a hub 114, both of which are housed within a housing assembly 118. In the exemplar embodiment, the housing assembly 118 is cylindrical to maximize airflow but other shapes are possible. The housing assembly 118 is open at a top and a bottom end to allow for airflow.

A plurality of ribs 116 extend from a surface of the housing assembly 118 to the center of the housing assembly 118. The hub 114 at the center of the blades 112 is pivotally attached to the ribs 116 at the center of the housing assembly 118, allowing the hub 114 with the blades 112 to rotate about its center. The blades 112 are shaped and angled to ensure rotation in either direction. As such, a user could determine the direction of the flow of air by the rotational direction of the blades 112. For example, clockwise rotation could indicate a downward airflow and a counter-clockwise rotation could indicate an upward airflow. In this embodiment, the housing assembly 118 includes an upper portion that has a wider support than the lower portion so that the ribs 116 are more fully supported.

The fan attachment 110 can be integral to the vent 120 or can further comprise an attachment means such as hooks 130, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a clip 230, as shown in FIG. 5, or other means of securing the fan attachment 110 to the vent 120. The attachment means can removably attach the fan attachment 1110 to the vent 120.

Referring to FIG. 5, a third embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the air circulation indicator is a stand-alone fan attachment 210 having a pair of blades 212 pivotally coupled to a hub 214. The hub 214 is integral to a clip 230, which can be attached to a vent, such as the vent 120 in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 6, a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the air circulation indicator is a fan 10 integrally formed with a concentric vent 302. The fan 10 comprises at a pair of blades 12 coupled to a rotatable hub 14 such that the blades 12 are rotatable. The hub 14 is secured to the fan 10 with radially extending ribs 16 that are fixed to a housing assembly 18.

In other embodiments, the fan 10 and fan attachments 110, 210 further comprise a display or a display screen to display information such as rotational speed and direction. This can be powered by a battery or by the rotation of the fan attachment or both. The fan 10 and fan attachments 110, 210 can also comprise a Bluetooth transmitter or other wireless communications device to allow the fan attachment 110, 210 to relay information, including rotational speed and direction, to a remove device such as a smartphone. Alternatively, the information can be relayed by USB or other wired connections.

In each embodiment, the blade 12, 112, 212, the housing assembly 18, 118, the ribs 16, 116, and the hub 14, 114, 214 may be made of plastic, metal, wood, or other material capable of providing substantial structural support.

In some embodiments, the fan 10 and fan attachments 110, 210 may further comprise a manual or electronic switch to allow or prevent the blade 12, 112, 212 from rotating. Alternatively, a cover can prevent airflow through the fan 10 and fan attachments 110, 210. This would disable movement of the blades 12, 112, 212 while the fan 10 and fan attachments 110, 210 remains attached, which can be useful in situations where removing the same is difficult or undesirable but the user does not want the blades 12, 112, 212 to rotate.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention will be, therefore, indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An air circulation indicator comprising: a rotatable fan blade; and a support structure for securing the rotatable fan blade substantially adjacent to a vent; wherein air circulation through the vent rotates the fan blade, thereby indicating the air circulation through the vent.
 2. The air circulation indicator of claim 1, wherein the support structure includes a housing assembly.
 3. The air circulation indicator of claim 2, wherein the housing assembly is integrally formed with the vent.
 4. The air circulation indicator of claim 2, wherein the housing assembly includes attachment means for attaching the housing assembly to the vent.
 5. The air circulation indicator of claim 4, wherein the attachment means includes a hook.
 6. The air circulation indicator of claim 4, wherein the attachment means removably attaches the housing assembly to the vent.
 7. The air circulation indicator of claim 1, wherein the support structure includes a clip attachable to the vent.
 8. The air circulation indicator of claim 7, wherein the clip is removably attachable to the vent.
 9. The air circulation indicator of claim 1, wherein the support structure includes: a rotatable hub attached to the blade; and a rib extending from the hub to the vent for fixing the hub to the vent.
 10. An air circulation indicator comprising: a rotatable hub; a rotatable fan blade connected to the rotatable hub for rotating therearound; and a support structure including a rib for securing the rotatable hub substantially adjacent to a vent; wherein air circulation through the vent rotates the fan blade, thereby indicating the air circulation through the vent.
 11. The air circulation indicator of claim 10, wherein the support structure includes a housing assembly.
 12. The air circulation indicator of claim 11, wherein the housing assembly is integrally formed with the vent.
 13. The air circulation indicator of claim 11, wherein the housing assembly includes attachment means for attaching the housing assembly to the vent.
 14. The air circulation indicator of claim 13, wherein the attachment means includes a hook.
 15. The air circulation indicator of claim 13, wherein the attachment means removably attaches the housing assembly to the vent.
 16. The air circulation indicator of claim 10, wherein the support structure includes a clip attachable to the vent.
 17. The air circulation indicator of claim 16, wherein the clip is removably attachable to the vent.
 18. A method for indicating air circulation comprising: providing a rotatable fan blade; securing, using a support structure, the rotatable fan blade substantially adjacent to a vent; circulating air through the vent; and rotating the fan blade in response to the air circulation, thereby indicating the air circulation through the vent.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: providing a housing assembly with the support structure; and attaching the housing assembly to the vent.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of attaching includes: removably attaching the housing assembly to the vent. 